Prakash Raj pushed back against fresh boycott calls for his films on a talk show.
He said SS Rajamouli is being questioned on X for casting him in Varanasi.
The actor recalled being banned eight times by the Telugu film industry over the course of his career.
Prakash Raj Reveals SS Rajamouli Is Questioned For Casting Him In Mahesh Babu's Varanasi
Prakash Raj cited the box-office success of films such as KGF and Drishyam 3 to argue that bans cannot stop movies
Summary
Prakash Raj has dismissed fresh boycott calls against his films and said even SS Rajamouli is being questioned on X for casting him in Varanasi. Speaking on NTV’s Point Blank talk show, the actor pushed back against attempts to target his work and pointed to the box-office run of films in which he starred.
Prakash Raj on boycott calls for his films
Calls to boycott Prakash Raj's films are common on X (formerly Twitter).
He said, “When I starred in KGF, they had a problem with me acting in it. It made so much money; what do you do now? You said, let’s ban Prakash Raj, and yet Drishyam 3 collected more. Who can stop movies? At most, they can stop films I produce. I am primarily an actor. I am in Varanasi now. On X, they are questioning Rajamouli for casting me in the film. Who will be able to ban it?” Raj added that people who know his work and like it have no problem with him.
When the host brought up that Raj had been banned eight times in Tollywood over alleged unprofessionalism, he smiled and replied, “Isn’t it beautiful to lead a life where everyone needn’t be the same? To live a life like this, to be honest, and to face issues that come with it is what I am all about. What’s wrong with it? Have I committed atrocities or stolen?”
He asked to be judged by his work. “I’m not in jail to come and leave at certain times; that is how an artist works. When I am working in five languages and travelling, it happens,” he added.
Prakash Raj ban dispute
The National Award-winning veteran was the first actor barred from the Telugu film industry in 2008, and he has faced eight bans for different reasons. The current backlash also sits against the backdrop of the 2021 Movie Artists Association (MAA) election, the last time the body held polls. Raj contested for president against Vishnu Manchu, while rival campaigners called him an ‘outsider’ because he was born in Karnataka despite his work in Telugu.
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Raj lost despite support from industry figures such as Chiranjeevi, and later alleged foul play. On the talk show, he also said the MAA has not held elections since 2021, even though it must conduct them every two years. The matter is still open. In 2024, the general body decided that Vishnu and his panel would stay on until the new MAA office building is finished. By 2026, there was still no fresh word on the project.
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